Yahoo has been sold to Verizon for $4.8 billion, improving your home internet connection, backing up your iTunes music, best hardware for Google's Chrome OS, recovering data on an Android phone, and more of your calls.

Guests

Audience Questions

Audience QuestionsHour 1

Tony's router is starting to get flakey. Leo says that we've become used to using cheap routers. However, the cheaper the router, the faster it will wear out. If Tony buys a better quality router, it'll be more consistent and last longer. Netgear makes good routers.

The problem could also be Tony's modem. He'll want a DOCSIS III modem. For that, Leo likes the Arris Surfboard SB6141 which is $70 on Amazon.

Tony should check out The WireCutter for other recommendations. He should make sure to get a separate modem and router, since the router will wear out over time. The modem won't.

Ian is trying to back up his iTunes folder with a flash drive, but the drive turned out to be too small. How can he tell how large his library is? Leo says to open the iTunes program and look at the bottom of the window. That will give him a general idea of how big the media folder is and how much music it contains. He can also just right click on his iTunes Media folder and select "Get Info."

It may be a better idea to get a USB external drive to back it up. He could also invest in iTunes Match, which for $25, Apple will back up all of his music in the cloud and upgrade it to AAC.

Backing up is important. Check out the DAM Book - 3-2-1 backup by Peter Krogue. The idea is to have 3 copies, on 2 different formats, with one off site. By doing that, you are guarding yourself against the worst case scenario.

Tony is having issues with Skype and his Mac. Leo says that he can delete Skype, redownload, and reinstall it. That's how Chris Marquardt got it to work. Microsoft is making serious changes to it, though. The chatroom says that there's a Tech Note in Skype support that says to be sure the OS is up to date, along with Quicktime. Leo says to just delete it and redownload and install it. It's probably a localized issue.

Audience QuestionsHour 2

Robert is looking to get a Chromebook. He's looking for a well built model with price being no object. He would also like to have a video display port for when he's at home.Leo says that Google's Chromebook Pixel is the top of the line and it's $1,000. It's also one of three that can also run applications from Android mobile phones. So it's a full blown computer system with 2 million apps.

Robert will also want a Chromebook with a touch screen. He'll want to get at least 4-8GB of RAM with a faster processor like an i5. Storage isn't all that important since he'll work in the cloud, but he can get a 32GB SSD. The ASUS Flip is another option if he wants a tablet.

Jane is an author and is looking for the best laptop to run Windows and Microsoft Word. Leo says that just about any laptop, including Macs, can run Word. If she prefers a Windows machine, then Leo recommends a business class Lenovo X1.

Dell's XPS 15 is another good solid choice. HP's Spectre 13T is the thinnest laptop made and it's beautiful. It's great for moving around, but not great for "key travel."

Leo recommends going with the Lenovo X1. How about an additional screen? Leo says that Dell makes a great independent monitor screen to set up with the laptop.

Rick says that Leo should give Playstation Vue a try for streaming online. For $55, it has cable over the internet via the Playstation 3 or 4 console, Roku, etc. There are a ton more channels than Sling.

Leo says it looks interesting but you don't really save anything over paying for cable or satellite. So from a cost saving cord cutting perspective, there isn't much point to it. It is worth a try if you want to cut the cable, though.

Audience QuestionsHour 3

Lori wound up deleting all the audio files she had when she got rid of an audio recorder app. Leo says it won't be recoverable on the phone, but if she had a cloud backup, it may be. Since this just happened, it's possible to connect it via USB to a PC. She should make sure it shows up as a storage device. Then she can run a program like Recuva to recover the lost data. There's also EasyPhoneRecovery.com.

G. Scott is thinking of putting Linux on an old computer. Leo says that's a great way to breathe new life into old hardware. Another option is Chrome OS. CloudReady is the site he'll want to use to get that done.

G Scott also wants to get Windows 10. Leo says to get a fresh stand alone version of Windows 10. When it installs, he'll be able to input his Windows 7 key to authenticate to Windows 10. That way he'll have the free Windows 10 upgrade. He can then downgrade if he wants and can upgrade it later.

If he goes with Linux, he could run Microsoft Office with Wine. Leo says that Linux comes with its own open source office called Libre Office and it's just as good.

Richard bought a Vizio Performance series TV. He has a lot of HDMI ports to plug in but he doesn't have enough on the TV. Would an HMDI splitter work? Leo says if it uses a powered or active splitter, yes. Ultimately, the best way to do it is with an A/V receiver.

Geffen does makes a good HDMI hub, though. MonoPrice also has one. He should search for "Active HDMI Switcher."

Scott is using iTunes on his iMac and he's trying to move his music to his new Samsung device. Leo says that if the music is copy protected, he'll have an issue. If it isn't, then he can easily use a product like DoubleTwist to get his music on it. For copy protected music, Leo advises getting an iTunes Match subscription. It's $25 and it will replace the copy protected music with DRM free music.

Dave is trying to use Time Machine with his MyBook external drive, but it won't read it. He's unplugged it and then reset it, but it comes back up. Leo says it could be a bad USB port or the cable. He should try a different port and different cable. If that doesn't work, it's a flakey hard drive.

Fifteen states now have bills posed to allow citizens the right to repair what they buy. Meanwhile, companies like John Deer and Apple are being very litigious in preventing third parties from repairing their products.

With the huge suggest of Pokemon Go, the game's creator, Niantic, is set to release a new version set in the world of Harry Potter. Leo says you think it's bad now, wait until you can go after Dementors with your virtual wand. And Niantic has it's hands full right now, as home owners have sued the company over people trespassing on their private property looking for Pokemon monsters. https://www.theverge.com/2019/2/15/18226604/niantic-pokemon-go-lawsuit-c...

A decision by a court in Germany has declared that Facebook must stop collecting data on users without their consent, and give them the option to opt-out. Facebook is appealing, and says without the ability to collect data, they would have to shut down the social network access nationwide. Leo says that is part of the deal you make with Facebook. Free services for collecting data on your usage of Facebook. Someone has to pay the bills.

Leo says that folding phones are going to be the buzz word at this year's Mobile World Congress. Even Energizer, the battery company, is announcing one as part of their 26 model line of new phones. They are also going to do a phone with an 18000mAh battery, four times the battery life of the Note 9.

Leo also says sales of mobile phones have plateaued, and that means the "silly season" is about to start, where phone companies start adding "fins" and other silly features to lure customers back to buy.